Now's the Time: C.J. Boyd

The itinerant bassist and composer C.J. Boyd isn't a jazz musician.  Yet material like "We Know Time" should resonate with advocates of Charles Mingus and Charlie Haden.  Boyd kicks off the two-day KC Psychfest at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 17. 

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*KCJazzLark endorses Kansas City's latest wave of jazz talent.

*(T)his is music that may sound little like anything he's done before, but is equally impossible to imagine coming from anyone but Metheny," John Kelman suggests in a review of Pat Metheny's Tap: Jon Zorn's Book of Angels, Vol. 20.  The album will be released May 21.

*The Examiner previews the Jazz In the Woods festival.

*The Kansas City Live Music Blog published photos of Shay Estes, Jeff Harshbarger, Mark Lowrey and the Project H performing Beck's Song Reader at the RecordBar.

*This year's, ahem, Jazzoo fundraiser features a DJ, dueling pianos, dance and rock bands, a blues act and the jazz-tinged "antique pop" of Victor & Penny.

*Tweet o' the Week: Hermon Mehari- Had a blast opening for @TalibKweli this weekend. Live video of "Blowthehorn" - Reach and the Buhs (video)

*Comment o' the Week: Geek- I'm a big fan Diana Krall but how is she able to draw 2500 people? How would you know who she is unless you listen to jazz. Is her music played on any Kansas City radio stations? Is it because of her looks or her associaiton with Elvis? Kenny G is a house hold name. So was Chuck Mangletony in the 70's....(just joking..he used to play with Blakey)  How is Diana Krall so familiar internationally yet Karrin Allyson, Eliane Elias, Carol DuBoc, Ann Hampton Callaway are unknown to the majority of people.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Borne Back Ceaselessly Into the Past

“So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”- F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby 


"Hip hop was not around in the 1920's," a reviewer sniffs in a dismissal of the soundtrack to the new film version of The Great Gatsby.  "They just ruined the film."

The use of contemporary popular music in a film that takes place in 1922 doesn't offend me.  I reckon that today's versions of the title character would listen to Jay-Z, Beyoncé and Kanye West.  Had the filmmakers elected to present a soundtrack that's true to the setting, however, some of the selections would likely have originated in Kansas City.

The Coon-Sanders Original Nighthawk Orchestra's swanky "Oriental Love Dreams" would complement a dance scene.  And hip attendees of Gatsby's parties would probably have been aware of Bennie Moten.  The rowdy rendition of "Evil Mama Blues" with Ada Brown evokes all kinds of unlawful sin.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Now's the Time: Cindy Bradley

Many of Kansas City's jazz musicians have tired of my churlish exhortations to document their work on video.  I had simple performance videos in mind, but the embedded Cindy Bradley clip has altered my expectations.  I now realize that slinky red dresses and assertive hair stylists are essential ingredients of a solid presentation.  Perhaps Bradley can give musicians in Kansas City a few style tips when she and Alex Bugnon appear at the Gem Theater on Saturday, May 18.  

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*Joe Dimino posted new interviews with Jeff Harshbarger and Clint Ashlock at Neon Jazz.

*KCJazzLark alerts his readers to a BBC report about Herb Jeffries and shares a vintage photograph of the Mutual Musicians Foundation.

*The Grand Marquis created a new Kickstarter campaign.

*Jeneé Osterheldt spoke to Fanny Dunfee, Ahmad Alaadeen's widow, about her new book of poetry.

*Diana Krall's concert at the Midland theater was reviewed by The Kansas City Star.

*A critic raves about a Kansas City-inspired band's performance at a British jazz festival.

*Tweet o' the Week: parkavepirate- Easy Listening Jazz is like the Kansas City Royals...unobtrusive and yet secretly enjoyable with no real threat.

*Comment o' the Week: Russell- Time is no longer linear anymore.. it's a retrovirus

*From Rob Scheps: Early Notice: The Rob Scheps / Jim O'Connor Quintet- Rob Scheps - tenor sax, Jim O'Connor - trumpet/ flugelhorn, Roger Wilder - piano, Bob "Dwight" Bowman - bass, Brian Steever - drums, makes its Kansas Debut in these shows: Thursday October 3, 2013- Jazz On The Lake, Kansas City Kansas Community College, 12 pm - 1 pm.  Friday October 11, 2013- Take Five Coffee Bar, 7 pm - 10 pm…  Jim O'Connor is one of the greatest jazz trumpeters I've ever heard.

*From Doug Talley: This Friday, May 10, 8:30pm, we'll be performing the music of Wayne Shorter at the Blue Room, 18th and Vine, KCMO.  Don't miss this opportunity to hear pianist Sean Giddings, Shawnee Mission Northwest graduate currently living in Texas. Doug Talley - saxes, Joe Parisi - trumpet and flugelhorn, Sean Giddings - piano, Tim Brewer - acoustic and electric bass, Keith Kavanaugh - drums and cymbals.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Album Review: Carol Duboc- Smile

Had it not been for the Sunday jazz concerts sponsored by Kansas City, Missouri, in the 1970s and 1980s, Plastic Sax probably wouldn't exist.   The free events served as my introduction to jazz.

One of the concerts that had the most influence on me took place across the street from my elementary school at Line Creek Park in 1977 or 1978.  I'd never heard anything quite like The Jeff Lorber Fusion.  The bassist's slap technique mesmerized me.  A guy by the name of Kenneth Bruce Gorelick may or may not have been in the band.  Everything about the gig knocked me out.

The young women I encountered in high school several years later dazzled me in entirely different ways.  One of them was named Carol Duboc.  She's since forged a career as a California-based songwriter and vocalist.  Smile, Duboc's new album, was co-produced by Lorber.  The project's smooth sound is highly recommended to fans of Brenda Russell, Michael Franks and Patti Austin.  Here's the sunny video for the title track.

While I'm tempted to ask Duboc if she attended that Lorber concert in the 1970s, I'm not sure I want to know the answer.  I walked to the show with my best friend Rob.  My appreciation of Lorber's performance- to say nothing of my relationship with Rob- might have been jeopardized had a blonde caught my eye that summer evening.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Now's the Time: Charles Williams

Who's in the mood for some grown and sexy music?  Pianist Charles Williams, a mainstay of Kansas City's jazz scene, performs the Stylistics hit "Betcha By Golly, Wow" in the embedded video.  He's accompanied by guitarist Rod Fleeman, bassist James Ward and drummer Mike Warren.  Williams and Fleeman will appear at Helzberg Hall on Friday, May 3, as members of the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra.